


The Man In The Tower

by caplanbuckybarnes



Category: Marvel
Genre: Disney, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Inspired by Tangled (2010), Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 06:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14231424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caplanbuckybarnes/pseuds/caplanbuckybarnes
Summary: Bucky escapes his handlers and runs through a forest, finding safety in an abandoned tower. What happens when a town girl finds him? Can he trust her enough to finally set foot on ground level again?





	1. Chapter 1

Bucky ran. He ran as fast as his toned legs would carry him. He’d been running nearly nonstop away from his handlers back at what was once his home. His numbs were numb and painful. But he couldn’t stop. He had to keep going. No matter if his legs ripped away from his body. He had to keep running. He’d run forever if it meant he’d be far away from HYDRA and the torture they’d put him through. It was the only thing on his mind.

He’d been on the run from HYDRA. They’d used him as a weapon to kill and rape and murder whomever they’d wished. Bucky became a monster over the last several decades. He was a wanted man. Governments all over the world wanted him dead. Civilians searched high and low for him to gain the monumental reward for his capture. He’s destroyed homes and families without his own consent. He’s hurt too many people to have a clear conscience.

The images of his own hands wrapping around the throats of the innocent as their cries filled the air around him still haunted his dreams whenever he dared to sleep. Hydra had been cruel to him. They tortured him. They bullied him. They broke him into fragments only to glue him back together and break him again and again. But finally, he finally. He was nowhere near safety; thy’d been gaining in distance for a while now. He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to run.

He could use the cover the night to his advantage. He could even use the cover of trees as a safety net. Which is what he had done. He stopped for only a small moment to grip onto a tree trunk and grabbed a thick branch. He swore heavily as the branch broke under the weight of his vibranium prosthetic. He gripped for another branch and pulled himself up, grunting heavily as his back scraped against the roughness of the branch once he laid down on it. He heard gaurd dogs barking in the distance and shriveled up his body into the fetal position. He knew they’d already caught onto his scent- his blood was all over the ground at this point.

He refused to acknowledge the fear that crept into his blood and bones. He refused to admit that his throat had gone dry at the thought of being forced to sit in that chair again. He couldn’t imagine murdering another soul. He nearly whimpered as he’d seen no less than twelve dogs crowd around the trunk of the tree he had laid cover in.

He knew his handlers weren’t too far off by now. They were gaining on him faster than he’d originally planned. He looked above him in panic, debating if he should climb higher in the tree. Just as he had decoded to reach for a branch, he felt a bullet whiz by him. Luckily, it missed his ear by inches and landed in the tree. He groaned heavily and pressed harder into the branch he was laid on.

“You’re trapped, Barnes.” one of the men taunted over the snarls and barks of the surrounding dogs. “Why don’t you come on down so we can all return home and have a nice dinner?”

He minutely shook his head. He’d be a fool to step out of the safety of the treetops. Fear crept into his bloodstream, causing his hands and chest to shake as he tightened his grip on the branch. The handlers had guns pointed directly at him, th dog’s barking up at him, frothing at the mouth. He couldn’t see a way out of this situation. How the hell am I going to survive this?

He got the chance to escape into the cover of another tree when a wild black bear had come charging at the large group, attack a hound and killing him instantly. The handlers became distracted from Bucky and had aimed their guns at the bear, allowing his escape.

He hoisted himself quickly from the branch and leaped into another tree, hissing in pain once he landed and nearly twisted his ankle as he lost his balance. He cried out for only a second, refusing to reveal his new hiding place. He couldn’t reveal his location now that the bear had chased them away in the opposite direction. He stayed low in the trees long after the cries of the handlers had gone away.

He felt calm for a moment. He felt relaxed. He felt safe in the treetops. But he knew he’d have to get going soon. He’d have to find another place to find shelter. He needed to find a place his handlers couldn’t reach him. He made a quick decision to climb back to earth, even though every centimeter of his body ached and cried out for him to stop moving.

He stumbled as his feet begun running forward once more, chest heaving with pain. Oxygen filled his lungs in icy puffs.Sweat dribbled down his profile. His hands balled up in fists as he ran. He found himself praying for a safe safe. He prayed for a long time that he would would find solstice away from what he once thought was his home.

At last, finally, he stopped when he reached a clearing in the trees. Flowers blossomed around him. Birds were chirping around him. He bent low to pick up a yellow flower before stepping forward, not believing the sight in front of him; a tall stone tower rested in front of him. It was as though the gods above were granting him safety. The stones must have escalated up towards the sky around twenty meters. But he was determined to be inside the thing, away from his handlers. He’d kill or eat whatever he found inside if it threatened him. So, he started the incline once he found a indent in the stone wall. Slowly, but surely, he started climbing towards freedom.

His muscles ached in protest with every movement. But he couldn’t stop. He had to push through. He could rest once he was up inside the tower. He found himself scoffing at the irony of himself becoming a distressed damsel waiting for the safety that would never come. The only thing missing from this scenario was a dragon to protect him from any wrong suitors.

So onward he climbed until he was able to collapse through the gaping hole on the far left side of the tower. He leaned heavily on the ledge and caught his breath as he watched the sunset, the skies turning different shades of pink and yellow and orange. He knew at that moment, he was safe away from any harm. And he finally allowed himself to relax and sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

A week had passed since Bucky had found himself in the tower. He’d hardly moved. He hardly slept. He hardly ate or drank anything.  He mostly stayed in the fetal position, scared to move even an inch away from the wall he had placed himself near. The seldom times he had moved from his curled up position, it was to peer cautiously over the ledge from which he had stumbled in. All the time in the world could have passed by him, and still, he would never relax from the fear of having HYDRA trailing behind him. They’d find him. And wipe him just as they had done plenty of times before. He was prone to falling back into his handler’s arms. It’s not as though he mad much choice in the matter. They knew his words. They knew those key phrases to form him into a maniacal machine.

They’d find him and drag him back into the chair. They would erase andy and all remnants of whatever memories Bucky could remember. Bucky choked down a sob as lost memories flooded into his mind. It was all too much for him. He remembered Steve. He remembered Sarah. He remembered the soft feeling of Steve’s skin rubbing against his own. He remembered those baby blue eyes that rivaled his own. They’d make him forget everything about his life again. And Bucky couldn’t have that. So he ran. He ran until he reached oblivion in this abandoned tower, high above ground. A height no dog or normal person could climb easily.

He choked back another sob as he remembered his family; his mother and father, his younger sisters. He whimpered as he remembered HYDRA giving him the order to eliminate them all. He killed too many innocent lives for the sake of following commands. He couldn’t control himself. He was innocent of any and all charges piled against him But was he really? He’s killed too many. He has blood in his ledger. He has blood on his hands that would never wipe off completely.

He continued sobbing until he could no longer gather the energy to produce tears. He’d cried himself to sleep. By the time he’d awoken again, it had turned to nightfall. For several long moments, he panicked, fearing that he had woken up in the chamber again. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he knew he was still in the tower. He could hear several woodland creatures scurrying about and calling out into the night.

He sunk back into the wall, pressing his palms against his eyes to try and calm himself. He eased his breathing. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stay in this tower forever. He knew he’d have to eat eventually. He needed to drink as well. With the serum flowing through his bloodstream, he didn’t need to regularly eat and drink. But he’d need to do it sooner rather than later. His handlers had figured that out in the beginning of his transformation. They’d use it as often as possible without killing the poor man.  They were sadistic and cruel with him. They showed no remorse. They’d have him grovel for food after missions or training.

He often found himself wishing for death- whether that be from a mission gone wrong or by his handlers hands, he didn’t care at times. He’d only wished it all to cease. He wanted his life back, the one he could hardly remember. He wanted to be a child once more, running through alleys with his little blonde friend. He wanted to know what freedom felt like. Of course, however, HYDRA wouldn’t be foolish enough to allow Bucky’s death. He was their greatest asset. He was their ultimate killing machine. He was the best. He was capable of doing the most difficult missions with such ease and grace. His handlers often called him Little Swan for his gracefulness in a kill.

He cautiously peered into the darkness of night once again as he heard a tree branch snap down below him. He watched with bated breath as a bear had come walking into the clearing and began rubbing itself along the rough ridges of the tower.

His stomach growled loudly i nthe silnce of the night and he groaned along with it. He didn’t want to move away from the tower. He was already too weak to climb down onto the ground. The stone floor he had been sprawled out ovre felt good on his aching bones and heated skin. He’d wanted to strip his clothes days ago but he didn’t dare for fear of not being able to protect himself had danger come into his protective bubble.

He reached out as he seen a pointed rock and turned his body, scratching a thin line into the wall, marking the start of his imprisonment. He was determined to be free from HYDRA and everything they stood for, even if that meant the countdown to his death day. He’d rather starve to death rather than submit himself once again to those fools.

********

Tony slapped a manila folder against the conference table as he huffed out, looking around the members around the table. “Cap, he’s your friend. You knew him better than anyone. Where do you suppose Tin Can is now?”

Steve winced at the sudden question before heaving up from his seat and grabbing the folder, flipping through it quickly before looking up at the other teammates. “I wouldn’t be able to tell you. Not this time, Stark. I’m sorry.”

“Are you kidding, right now, Spangled?” He sighed out in disbelief. “What are you hiding?”

“Last base we invaded was his last known location, Stark! And he clearly wasn’t in the vicinity of the place! I apologize for not having a goddamn radar on the man, alright?” Steve swore as he started pacing nervously. “Because if that was the case, we wouldn’t be running around looking for a wild goose!”

Wanda gave him a sympathetic smile before leaning back in the chair with a sigh. “There’s nothing we can do unless we trace our steps back to the base. Maybe there’s some sort of clue as to where he ran off to?” She offered nervously.

“I’m not risking a trip back to Serbia. No.” Tony refused.

“We have to find the kid, Tony,” Rhodey spoke up from the corner of the room. “It’s only right. It’s only fair. Set aside your damned hatred for two seconds and be a good sport.” Tony opened his mouth to argue back but Rhodey cut him off quickly. “He spared your life, Tony. And you know it. So did Cap. You owe him that much. So set your goddamned hatred aside and focus on finding Barnes.”

Tony looked momentarily shocked before he cleared his throat. “Right then. Cap, team? We leave in one hour. You comin’, Rhodey?”

“Gladly.”

“Get your suit and gear up, then. Take off in one hour.”

*******

Wanda looked up at Steve with a gentle smile as the two of them walked down the hall to their respectable bedrooms. “Barnes is lucky to have someone like you looking out for him.”

“You knew him?” He asked her.

She shrugged. “I only caught sight of him once or twice before Pietro and I left our captives. He’s tough and scary. It’s a miracle he hasn’t killed his handlers. But then again, HYDRA would have killed him in response for a stunt like that.”

“He’s harmless,” Steve reminded her gently as he stepped up to his door. “I just hope he’s fighting as best as he can. He’s terrified to go under once again. I hope we find him all in one piece.”

“He will be okay, Steve. I promise. We will find him and bring him home where he belongs.” She leaned up on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss to his cheek before walking further down the hall to her own personal space.

Steve sighed deeply as he stepped into his room. He knew where ever Bucky was, he was probably being torn apart.


	3. Chapter 3

Another long week, if the lines on the wall by Bucky had been correct. He had no idea anymore. He felt like he was in a terrible nightmare. He couldn’t escape. He couldn’t eat or drink. And when he fell asleep, he’d awaken with every noise that sounded outside. Of course, he had nothing to worry about by now, his handlers had long gone by now. They were back at the home base, planning to capture more innocent souls to torture and force into their operations.

Last night, he’d managed to escape for a moment and kill a deer with a broken neck. Raw meat was disgustingly disturbing, but he’d eaten worse things in HYDRA’s care. He groaned heavily as he crawled through the opening once again, his back hitting the stone floor with a sharp thud. He knew he couldn’t stay here forever, that would be nearly impossible. He’d have to find a safe haven eventually. He didn’t have a home to go to, unless he’d managed to get in contact with STeve and his other friends. He had no family, seeing as HYDRA had ordered their murder a long time ago. He was slowly losing all hope that he would be safe once again. He was becoming deranged at the thought of going back into HYDRA’s care.

He sat up with a sharp intake of breath as a soft whistling sound traveled up into the tower. He could recognize the sound being made by a female. He grunted softly as he peeked over the ledge. Momentary fear oozed into his bloodstream once again as he thought the noise was merely a trick from HYDRA to lure him into a trap, a false sense of security. Brainwashed as many times as he had been throughout the years, he never lost his sense of common sense.

The whistling female continued onward through the edge of the forest, never once stopping to gaze up at the tower. Once he was positive that the girl was a safe distance away, he leaned back against the wall, straining his ears to listen to any returning noise from her. He waited a few long moments before fully standing up and walking around the space, stretching his legs and arms. He let out an obnoxious groan as his bones and muscles stretched and cracked.

*************

You smiled softly as you walked through the forest. You reveled in the beauty and silence of the place. You loved coming across the woodland creatures. You whistled a tune your mother had taught you when you were a young child, peering up at the stone tower that you passed once a month on your way to the lake a short distance away. You thought you’d seen a dark haired figure looking down at you, but you paid no attention to it; it was abandoned, and maybe the creature was a large bird or something. You’d bent over aberry bush and started to pick berries from it when a foul stench filled your nose.

“What in the world could that smell be?” you mumbled to yourself as you searched for the source. You jumped back in shock and disgust as you had come across a sickening site; the rotting carcass of a brown bear. You estimated the corpse was maybe a week or so old, judging by the dried out blood and yellowed eyes. “What could have killed a bear without dying themselves?” You knelt by the bear to examine it a bit closer, poking its’ paw and snout. You thought the bear had gotten into a scuffle with another animal, but on closer examination of the forest floor, you couldn’t see another trail of blood anywhere. You’d decided to come by later on and examine the corpse more closely.

***************

Another week had gone by and Bucky was convinced he was surely going insane with boredom and starvation. He could swear late at night, as he allowed himself to drift into uneasy sleep, that he could faintly hear his handlers demanding his return, demanding that he kill, he murdered, he tortured some poor unfortunate soul. He’d dreamt that they’d forced him back into cryo.

He shivered as he remembered the final time he was allowed out of the freezer, feeling exhausted and disoriented. He felt helpless as he was strapped into the chair, receiving sedatives and other medical IVs to start the brainwashing. He managed to escape. But he would never be free of HYDRA, not completely. He’d most likely spend the rest of his existence in fear, looking over his shoulder, fearing his recapture. He was free, sitting in this tower as if he were some lost damsel in distress from one of those animated Disney films his sisters would watch when they were children and he was stuck at home babysitting them with Steve as company.

**********

You walked through the forest, vigilant, watching, sniffing out in case there was been yet another animal corpse laying in the short distance. You tried scoping out to search for the animals that could have eaten the bear so viciously, but you had no luck. You couldn’t find another sign of life anywhere.

You found yourself gazing up at the tower, wondering if the source of the bear eater was laying inside of the place somewhere. You knew you’d have to gather some material to be able to scale the tower properly without falling to your death. You thought about waiting there for a minute or so to see if someone or something would poke their head out of the gaping hole on the west side of the tower.

You’d heard of the legend of the place. It was built a long time ago. It once housed a young female as a punishment for not wanting to marry into royalty. Her stepmother was a vicious and cruel woman, abused her whenever she had the chance. The girl died just before adulthood and her corpse had been carried away. Ever since then, the tower had been abandoned and supposedly cursed to any who visit the place.

You were turning around to continue on back to your village when you’d thought you’d heard a man coughing from the tower. You thought it wa nearly impossible for someone to scale up the wall. But you were a curious one, and you placed your basket on the ground and cupped your hands around your mouth and hollered up, “hello? Is anyone there?” The sound ceased immediately and a moment later, a mop of hair appeared over the ledge. You smiled up at the man’s face, unsure if he could even make out your face. 

“Are you okay?” you called in wonder. You never expected anyone to stay in the tower again. You felt amazed and scared all at once at the sight of this man. You dropped the backpack you held from your shoulders, straining to ear anything coming from the man in the tower. “I’m not sure if you can hear me, but I’ll return soon. Okay? I need to go back to my village and gather food and some medicine. You look hurt.” You could have sworn you heard a disgruntled response as the man’s head disappeared from your view, allowing you to charge back into your village.


	4. Chapter 4

You gathered a few several items from your home and placed them inside your knapsack before rushing out of the village and through the forest, skidding to a halt once you were in front of the tower with the stranger again. You didn’t have a clue who this man was, nor did you care. All you knew was that he probably needed help. He could have also been the reasoning behind the dead bear you had found a few weeks ago. You hadn’t found another dead animal since then, so you assumed he either hadn’t eaten since, or he possibly had bird carcasses in the tower with him.

“Hey!” You called, announcing your return. The man poked his head out curiously. “I have a rope to climb up. Is there a place I can latch onto so I can climb up to you?”

He motioned with his hands and you didn’t understand what he was trying to say. He seemed to be making a circular motion with his hands and finally, you understood that he was trying to direct you to another part of the tower so you could throw your rope and latch onto something. You walked around halfway, on the completely opposite side of the opening on the hole in the wall and found a large broken stone sticking out, indicating that you could latch the rope there.

It had taken  a bit of time or you, but you had somehow managed to climb the rope and grasp onto a few several stones sticking out of the wall to maneuver your way back on the side with the opening and you fell inside, nearly cackling at the muscle tone this man must have endured to climb up the stone tower with seemingly no help. As you looked around, you noticed you were correct; several bird carcasses littered a corner of the place. You noticed the man retreating into the shadows of the tower and furrowed your brows in confusion before letting a small laugh fall from your lips.

“That was the workout of a lifetime, I’ll tell you.” you sat down on the stone floor and crossed your legs in front of you, looking at the man with concern once you noticed he hadn’t moved from the shadows. “Are you okay?”

“What do you want with me?” he asked in hesitation. You could see his hands wringing in worry in front of him, his eyes were full of alertness. “Did they send you here for me?”

“What?” you asked. “Who are you talking about? I’m here to help you.” You took the bag from your shoulders and hastily opened it up, showing him the abundance of fruits and medical supplies. “I thought you’d- oh my god!” you cut off as he took a step forward and in the small bit of sunlight that passed throguh the cracks in the tower, you noticed the glimmer of a metallic limb.

“You shouldn’t have come up here.” he mumbled, before taking another step into the light, his face held anger, eyes filled with a sudden anger. Without a moment’s notice, the nervousness he displayed was gone, replaced with turmoil and anger. He lunged at you without any warning and wrapped his human hand around your throat. “Who the fuck are you and what do you want with me? Tell me!”

“I’m just a villager!” you choked out, your hands scratching desperately at his flesh arm to try and pry him away from you. “I’m not here to hurt you!”

“You’re a liar!” he yelled, placing pressure on your chest as he placed his knee on you. “I swear I’ll kill every single last one of you HYDRA fucks before I ever set foot back in Serbia or Germany.”

“I’m not from-” you cut off as you knew there was nothing you could do to stop him. He was deranged and had probably been frightened beyond anything you could have imagined. You knew who this man had been the moment he spoke of HYDRA. This man was the Winter Soldier. He had probably escaped his facility and ran away as far as he could. He sought safety in this place and you felt as though you had fucked him up all over again. He was being at peace in this place, and your presence had startled him into thinking HYDRA was still after him.

This man in front of you had been the mastermind behind so many political assassinations. He’d been accountable for far too much chaos in the last seventy years, yet the man looked no older than thirty.

“You’re the famed Winter Soldier, aren’t you?” you questioned, noticing the slight flinch as you looked at him, causing him to release your throat from his grip. “That experiment from the Germans back in the World Wars. You know none of that was your fault, right? Nobody blames you directly. Well, not in my village anyway. You’re known all over the world, yet my small little town doesn’t blame you for one thing.”

“That’s because I wasn’t ordered to kill anyone from your village.” he nearly growled in arrogance. “Trust me; you don’t want to be near me for too long. I’ll only hurt you just as I had done moments ago.”

You knew you were speaking out of line. But you couldn’t help yourself, your mind was going bonkers at this point. What the hell were the chances you’d come crossing paths with this broken soldier? He didn’t seem violent, even though he nearly choked you to death moments ago. It was a defensive move, a protection for himself. You didn’t blame him for being cautious and scared. “You know Steve, right? Steve Rogers, Captain America? He’s looking for you. At least that what the news thinks. He’s been seen destroying HYDRA bases all over the world. I bet he misses you. No one in the world would destroy so much in order to find one man.”

“He doesn’t miss me.” Bucky denied. “He would have found my location if that was the case, kid. I’ve been stuck in this tower for more than two months with nothing to eat or drink. He isn’t looking for me. You’re lying and I don’t want to hear it.”

You know by the sound of his voice he’d given up hope a long time ago. “Mister Barnes, please,” you pleaded. “You can’t give hope on Captain America. He’s doing the best that he can do. You should have faith in him, he’s a very courageous man to be fighting so many enemies just to find you. This world is bigger than you think. But I know he will find you. The Avengers is a team, and you’re a big part of it, even if you don’t see it right now. He will find you.”

“You really believe that, kid, huh?” With a roll of his eyes, he let out a scoff.

“In Steve Rogers? Always.”

He let slip a smile and sat back on the ground, more relaxed in that small moment that he was when you had first stepped inside the place. You knew your neck probably held a few bruises, something you’d have to explain to the villagers later on. But for now, you had just wanted this man to be able to trust you long enough to calm down and relax in your presence.

“You must be hungry, Mr. Barnes.” you spoke softly, nudging your bag closer to him and taking a small step back.

“He peered into the bag and grunted before pulling out an apple and taking a large bite from it.

“I’m sorry about only having a small amount; the bag couldn’t fit an entire turkey inside of it.” you chuckled at the lame attempt at humor, causing his lip to quirk slightly.

“Do you feel better?” you smiled as he glanced in your direction. You had taken several more steps backward to ease the tension between the pair of you and give him more personal space.

“What’s your name?” he blinked, stretching out a leg and twiddling his foot in a relaxed manner. “I didn’t quite get it.”

“Y/N.” you answered. “DOes it hurt?” you asked cautiously at the metallica contraception that substituted his arm.

He grimaced bitterly as he gazed at his hand. “No.”

“I’m sorry about the things they caused you to do. You didn’t deserve all that pain. I can only imagine what it would have felt like being woken up time and time again only to be tortured into murdering innocent people.”

“I deserved it,” he huffed in defeat, throwing the apple core over into the corner where the bird carcasses laid. He stood up and stretched his arms, causing his shirt to rise up, displaying a multitude of deep red marks, some of which were still bleeding, possibly infected.

“You’re hurt!” you found yourself gasping out, unable to catch yourself in time.

“Huh?” He scrunched his nose before twisting his body and scoffing and waving your worry away.

“Why didn’t I see it before?” you scoffed at yourself. “I’m so stupid. I should have helped you before I fed you. Damn, I’m such an idiot.”

“I’m fine, Y/N.” he pointed out, neglecting the medicine you had pulled from the bag. “I don’t need help, alright?”

“Nonsense, lay down on your stomach.” you demanded softly, patting the stone floor in front of you as you started pulling our a small first aid kit from your bag and opening it. You looked up at him expectantly as he hadn’t moved from his spot. “I’m not going to hurt you, Mr. Barnes. Please?”

“It’s Bucky,” he mumbled quietly.

“Bucky,” you smiled softly. “Please let me help you. I won’t hurt you, I promise. I’m just trying to help you.”

“My handlers are out there probably searching the forest for me. They’ve probably infiltrated your village looking for me.” he mumbled. “They’re going to catch you here and torture you into finding me.”

“No, they won’t.” you encouraged, patting the ground again. “We’re safe here, Bucky. I won’t let anything happen to you, okay? I’ll stay here as long as you want me to so I can make you believe that you are safe up here with me.”

“They have search dogs with them,” he mumbled before taking a few hesitant steps towards you and pulling at the straps and buttons on his vest before tossing it to the side and begun working at his gear, hissing in pain as the material had rubbed against the infected gashes in his skin. “They will sniff us out eventually.”

“I’m not leaving you.” you confirmed, trying not to gap out in worry as you noticed the scars and bruising across his body.

He balled up one of his shirts and placed in on the floor in front of you before achingly laying down and placing his cheek on the material, nearly sighing out at the coldness he felt on his aching skin.

“Rest,” you softly commanded. “You need to rest and relax. You look ready to pass out in exhaustion as it is, Bucky.”  

With a roll of his eyes he said, “I don’t sleep or rest. It’s not something I’m good at.”

You couldn’t help the guilt you felt for this man as you looked at him. He looked helpless and scared, yet he was trusting you to help him with his injuries. He nearly resembled a kicked and lost puppy and you wanted nothing more than to hold him close to you and tell him everything would eventually be okay.

“Tell me more about yourself,” he mumbled as he watched you through his greasy mop of hair. “I like hearing your voice.”

“What do you want to know?” you smiled. “I’m just a girl that lives in a small village and I collect medical supplies and plants from the forest. I’m nothing special.”

“I wish my life was as simple as that,” he whispered as his fingers found their way on your thigh. He started tracing imaginary patterns along your pants and before long, his eyes were closed.

“This might hurt,” you whispered in warning as you threaded a needle and poked his rib cage softly in warning. He nodded softly and didn’t move or make a sound as the needle punctured his skin.


	5. Chapter 5

You spent many hours with this man. The only times you had ever left his side was to gather food or retrieve more medical supplies when you were running low. You couldn’t tell how many days you had spent with him, but judging by the amount of new markings along the walls when you had returned, you spent much of your time with this man.

He slowly begun to trust you. He ceased questioning your motives with him. He stopped the finger twitches when he felt surges of rage and betrayal slither down his spine. He didn’t speak too much unless you had asked him a question directly. You assumed it was because of the treatment from the Germans that caused him to react that way.

It took a little more than a month to completely heal all the open wounds on his body. You felt horrified at the amount of damage his body had taken over the decades. He must have suffered several broken bones, but had failed to receive the proper treatment for his wounds.

“You know I’ll be alright?” His voice had startled you away from your thoughts. You nearly swore under your breath as you knew you had been caught gazing at one of the many wounds that littered his shoulder blades. “You don’t need to worry about them anymore. I’m okay.”

“It breaks my heart,” you admitted softly, tracing one of the many deeper scars on his shoulder blade. “No person should have gone through the things you had to endure. You’re an incredible man and you’re a sweetheart.”

“What breaks you?” he questioned, shifting to lay on his side, propping his head in his hand.

“The fact of horrible people living in this world and getting away with torture like this.” you spoke. “You don’t deserve this torture, Bucky. Nobody does. It just amazes me that people can hurt another living being without remorse or concern for their wellbeing.” He hesitantly reached up and placed a palm against your cheek, swiping away at the teardrops that slid down your cheek. You leaned into his touch and nearly lost it at the softness in his eyes.

“Leave with me,” you whispered into his palm. “Come back to the village.”

Chuckling, he dropped his hand from your face. “You know I can’t do something like that. It’s too risky for me.”

“Are you hungry? I can make another run to the village; we’re running low on water anyway.”

“Tell me a story.” he replied instead as he rested his body on the floor. “Tell me anything; just keep speaking.”

Smiling, you started on the fable of the tower, how the legend came about and how the villagers were terrified that the place was haunted, but you knew it was all just a fairy tale in the making.

He smiled at the sound of your voice. He had surprised you halfway through the story and had placed his hand in your lap and started squeezing your thigh absently as you spoke. Once you had finished the story, you had leaned over and grabbed your bag and pulled an apple for it and gave it to him. He rolled his eyes in affection but took the fruit from you and sunk his teeth into it.

“I want you to regain strength, Bucky.” you mumbled as you started running your hands through his hair. “You’re going to need it.”

“If I was any stronger, I’d be able to pull trees out of the ground, sweetheart.” He confessed, a smile creeping along his lips.

“I’d love to see that in action,” you bargained, pressing the apple into his grasp.

With a small playful roll of his eyes, he sunk his teeth into the fruit. You found your thoughts going wild as you watched the blissfulness form along his wrinkles. He looked almost like an elderly gentleman, yet he was barely out of his twenties, early thirties at most. You’d wanted to ask how he had escaped his prison. You wanted to know exactly how he had broke free from the brainwashing. But you couldn’t. Not when he was trusting you like this. He hadn’t laid his hands on you again since that first day and you weren’t willing to go back under that grip he possessed. You knew he could have easily crushed your throat without straining a muscle.

“Thank you,” he spoke quietly after a long moment of silence had crawled its way between the two of you, the discarded apple core in the corner with the other cores and bones.

“For what?” you asked, scrunching your brows in confusion.

“Staying here with me.” he whispered. “I can’t begin to understand why you would waste time with me when I’m worthless. I could have killed you that first day, yet it’s been more than three months later, and here you sit.”

“Come to town with me.” you mumbled, tracing a finger along his bottom lip. You searched his eyes for any rejection, any pain. “My parents could help you heal better; you could lay in a bed without having to watch over your shoulder all the time. You can eat and drink as much as you’d please.”

“I’m not exactly someone you’d invite to meet your parents with,” he smiled small.

“Do you trust me?” you asked, tracing a pattern on his cheek.

“Of course,” he nodded.

“Then believe me when I tell you, my village is the safest place you can be.”

He hesitated for a long moment before pulling away from you and tenderly standing up and helping you back on your feet. He peered down out of the opening of the wall and looked back at you. “Would you want help climbing down? Or would you want to go down on your own?”

“Are you strong enough to carry me on your back?” you asked, much to the amusement of Bucky.

Chuckling, he shook his head. “I feel insulted now.”

You shrugged and latched yourself onto his back, wrapping your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck softly.

“Hold on tightly, okay?” he said as he slowly descended onto the ground.


	6. Chapter 6

The pair descended to the ground quicker than you had ever imagined. Bucky grunted as his feet had planted firmly on the ground and you had jumped from his back. “Are you okay?” you asked in concern.

Nodding, he grunted again. “Yeah. I’d just forgotten how bright the sun is during the day.”

“I didn’t mean about being back on ground, Bucky.” you noted softly, resting your hand on his forearm. “I meant in general.”

“No.” he swallowed. “I don’t think I’ll ever be okay until I know for sure all of HYDRA is burnt to the ground and their souls are resting in the Underworld with Hades.”

“Hades?” you asked skeptically. “Really?”

“You’re village claims this tower is haunted.” he pointed out in teasing accusation. “And I’m the crazy one for talking about Hades?”

“Let’s go,” you playfully punched his arm before turning in the direction of the forest. “I’m starving and I want to make sure none of your wounds became infected.”

“I-” he hesitated as you tried pulling his arm to get him to start walking. “Something’s going to happen, Y/N. I can feel it.”

Rolling your eyes, you dropped your hand away from him and placed them on your hips. “What could happen? I was just in my village three days ago! It’s safe, Bucky. C’mon!”

“I don’t want to,” he murmured, kicking at the grass below his feet. “There’s something dangerous looming and I never should have allowed you to convince me to get out of there. I was safe up there.”

“Bucky,” you smiled sadly, cupping his chin in your hand. “I promise, there’s nothing in my village except maybe a crazy old lady who will try and convince you to buy sea shells that supposedly carries magical properties.”

After a long moment of unsure silence, he sighed and nodded, mostly to himself. “Okay.”

Smiling and slipping your hand into his own, you led the way through the forest to your village. You nearly laughed as he had tripped over an overgrown branch at one point, but otherwise, the two of you were deathly silent.

“Wait, Y/N.” He pulled at your hand as you neared the exit of the forest. You could practically see the gate to your village and a whine fell from your lips. “I can’t do this.”

“Yes you can,” you gave him an encouraging smile. “Bucky, I’m here with you. We’re less than five hundred meters from the village. We’re safe.”

“You don’t understand the horrors I had to deal with being in their supposed care, Y/N.” he resembled a puppy so much at that moment and you felt your heart shattering at his soft tone. “You didn’t see the torture and agony they placed in front of me.”

“You’re safe, Bucky.” you promised, squeezing his hand in reassurance. “Let’s go.”

He stared at you for a long moment before biting his lip and sighing out. You knew exactly why and what he was so terrified f. But your village was safe. HYDRA wouldn’t come looking for him there. You knew this. You’d been traveling back and forth between the tower and your village and you’ve never come across those men or women. SO why would it be a worry now? Right?

You smiled at him as he stood up straighter and begun the trek through the remainder of the forest until he stopped in the middle of the pathway. You walked into him and fell onto the ground with a loud groan. “Why’d you stop?”

“Shh!” He placed his finger in front of his mouth and glared at you before gripping the back of your shirt and slamming your body into the nearest tree trunk. “I should have known you were lying to me.”

“What are you-?” your voice cut off as you heard the screams from your village. Shouts of German came collided in your ears. “Bucky!”

“I knew you were lying the minute you stepped into that tower.” He slammed  your back into the tree again and you cried out in pain. “You’re working for them, aren’t you?! Aren’t you?”

“Bucky, what the hell? No!” you protested, fear causing your heart to beat unbearably in your chest. “Bucky, no. That’s not true!”

“You have three seconds to explain why I’m hearing agents in your village before I crush your throat with my palm.” He demanded. You looked at the man and whimpered as you couldn’t recognize the menace standing in front of you. “Y/N!” He shook you once again, snapping you back into reality. “It’ll be as easy as cracking a peanut shell.”

“I don’t know!” you cried out, flailing your arms, trying desperately to force his grip to loosen around your throat. “Bucky, I swear I’m not apart of them!”

Squirting at you, trying to detect any sense of lying, he released his grip from your neck. “If you’re lying, and this is a goddamn trap for me, I swear, I’ll come back to you and murder this entire village, with or without HYDRA capturing me again.”

“I swear, I’m telling you the truth!” you begged, eyes watering again as you regained a normal breathing rate. You couldn’t understand why HYDRA was searching your town, or how long they had been there. You’ve just made a trip here a few days ago! So how could they have come here without your knowledge?

“Let’s go.” the rigidness of his shoulders scared you as he turned to face the village. His eyes held anger and torment, just as they had held when you first met him. It scared you to see him stoic like this once again. You thought he had been freed from HYDRA, but you were wrong. And you were well aware of the danger if HYDRA had captured him again. He’d been fearing his recapture for months.

“Bucky, wait.” you gently pulled him back and cupped his chin.

“What, Y/N?” he mumbled against your fingers as you traced his lips softly.

“If they catch you,” you blinked and swallowed down the fear that etched into your heart. “I won’t be able to live with myself.”

“Don’t worry about me.” he whispered before leaning over and swiping his lips against your own before grabbing your hand and leading you into the village.


	7. Chapter 7

You let out a whine as he pulled away from your touch. You’d wanted his lips against yours for days now. But not this way. Not when the pair of you could be on the walk of death.

“I’ll stay with you, I’ll do what I can to keep them away from you.” He whispered as you slipped your hand into his and squeezed tightly. “I won’t let anything-” he was cut off as a crowd had suddenly surrounding the pair of you.

Bucky yelled out harshly as three pairs of strong arms wrapped around his body and tackled him to the ground. You were stuck on the spot in fear as German soldiers wrestled with him, beating him, yelling at him what you thought to be threats.

In the chaos of the struggle, Bucky threw you a worried gaze. “Run.” He mouthed, catching the attention of another German soldier behind you. You didn’t have time to react as strong men tackled you to the ground, placing their knees along your back so you couldn’;t move. You watched helplessly as they pulled Bucky onto his feet.

“Bring das Mädchen mit.” One of the men demanded.

You yelped as you were suddenly pulled to your feet and thrown into the back of a vehicle with Bucky seated next to you. You felt relief that you were next to him again. Yet, fear was starting to cause you to panic. You didn’t know what was going to happen as two German men sat in the front of the car while three sat in the back next to you.

You tried keeping your stare on Bucky and Bucky alone, but he refused to speak to you. He refused to even acknowledge your existence for nearly three hours. The car ride was silent, only filled with the occasional direction from the passenger in the front of the van.

The guards sitting in the back with the pair of you remained silent, glaring out in front of them, silently daring Bucky or yourself to move even a millimeter out of line.

“Bucky?” you mumbled, afraid to speak any louder around the uncomfortable silence in the van.

Suddenly, you let out a yelp in pain as a black stick was jammed into your rib cage. “Nicht sprechen.” The man spoke, voice full of disgust and anger. Once the pain had subsided, you peeked at Bucky and the expression on his face frightened you; he didn’t look like the Bucky you had grown to know and care for. His eyes held fire beneath them. His face was contorted and twisted, anger lines were etched across his features. His eyes held nothing but icy blue anger, a stark contrast to what they held only minutes before.

An hour passed in silence, except for the small talk of the two officers in the front seat. You tried your damnedest to stay quiet and calm. But you couldn’t. Your heart raced in your chest. Your mind replayed scenario after scenario. None of which had calmed your mind either. You wanted to speak to Bucky. You wanted to hear his voice, that soft tone you had grown to love. But you couldn’t gain his attention without getting hurt by the officer sitting next to you.

He still held the anger in his eyes. This wasn’t the Bucky you knew. He seemed almost in a trance-like state of mind. He hardly blinked, he always twitched a finger. He kept a sharp eye on the guards, seemingly waiting for one of them to go out of line. You wouldn’t be too sure on his motives. His body as stiff.

As the truck drove further and further away from your village, he finally twitched his head. His eyes were blank, his face held little to no emotion other than the dark anger.You imagined him becoming a beast from the fairy tales your mother had told you about when you were a child. He stared at you for only a moment and you found yourself  shaking your head. At what, however, you couldn’t be too sure. You just knew something terrible was about to happen. He had a plan in his mind and you were terrified of the outcome.

The vehicle stopped at what looked to be a barren field until you heard a gate opening. The vehicle hardly moved another few meters when Bucky stood upright and took one quick stride to the guard sitting next to you. “Gib mir die Schlüssel und ich verschone dein Leben.” He spoke in German, gripping the man by the throat while the other two hustled to their feet. The guard’s face quickly turned a dark hue of blue and purple before Bucky dropped him and kicked out behind him as the other two guards approached him, knocking them out.

“Stay here and don’t fucking move.” he whispered urgently to you. Yo watched as he kicked the back doors out and jumped calmly from the vehicle. It stopped moving. You seemed to be surrounded by buildings of all types. In the distance, you’d thought you’d recognized he Avengers’ quinjet hiding amongst the trees. You had no idea where you were. But you were scared. You didn’t know what was going to happen to you or Bucky.

You heard gunshots and nearly jumped out of your skin. You felt panicked, searching with your eyes, begging to whatever deity was up above for Bucky to be safe. You couldn’t move your legs. You were too scared.

“Y/N!” you felt relieved as you heard his familiar voice before he came back around to the back of the van. Blood displayed vibrantly against the dirty clothes he bared. “I’m going to get you back to safety, okay?” He promised, the violent tone he spoke with before now gone, replaced with tenderness and softness.

“What happened to the guards?” you asked as he drug the unconscious bodies from the back of the truck and dropped them unceremoniously on the ground by the side of the road.

He grimaced as he unlatched the handcuffs from your wrists. “Are you worrying about them? We have to find another safe house, another hideaway spot. I’d seen a jet in the way in; there’s no telling what they could be using that for.”

“Back to my village; I’m sure it’s safe by now.”

He let out a bark of laughter, startling you. “If you think for a  second I’d go back there, you’re insane.”

“How can we contact the Avengers?” You asked. “Is there a way?”

H sighed heavily, wiping a hand down his face as he turned the vehicle around and begun the trek down the all too familiar road for him. “I don’t know:”

****************

“Steve, they’re not here, man!” Clint said as he approached the blond man.

Steve Sighed out, turning away from the unconscious bodies that laid out in front of him. “I don’t know where else to look, CLint. I thought he’d be here.”

“You can’t-”

“Hold on.” Steve mumbled, interrupting the archer. “Sam!” he spoke into the comm. “Is Redwing still intact?”

“Yes, why?” Sam answered quickly.

“Are you near a window?” Steve asked, staring out into the road, eyeing a vehicle on the road.

“The vehicle?” Sam asked after a few moments.

“It pulled up a moment ago. Find out what it’s deal is for me?” Steve requested. A moment of silence fell between the comms before Steve recognized Redwing flying from a window above him and zooming through the air to the armored truck

“Cap…” Sam’s awed voice came onto the comm after a moment. “I found Barnes.”

Steve blinked as he trained his eyes on the truck that was still driving down the narrow road. He couldn’t believe what Sam had just told him. “Stop the vehicle, Sam. Now.” Clint and Steve watched with intensity as Redwing shot a tree from a short distance, causing the trunk to topple over onto the road. The truck skidded to a harsh stop, nearly colliding with the fallen tree.

Steve and CLint waited with bated breath as the driver’s door opened and a moment later, Bucky’s form exited the vehicle. “He’s alive.” Steve breathed out, not believing what he was seeing in front of him. “By golly he’s alive.”

“Cap, we should head on out there.” Clint spoke up next to him.

Steve nodded before speaking into the comm again, informing his teammates to meet on the road.

Once the team had collected together once again, questions were fired at Steve in rapid succession. “He’s alive.” Steve revealed. “Sam saw him too. He’s still out on the road. I guess he tried to escape once he heard of our arrival. I don’t know. But Redwing shot a tree down in his path. I don’t know if he left the scene or not. But I’m willing to bet he’s still just outside of the perimeter of this place.” Steve’s heart raced as he informed the others, pacing on the spot.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Natasha asked, gesturing to the open road. “We have to get him before he leaves our sight again!”

Steve nodded and led the team out to the perimeter, where the truck was still sitting. Bucky was nowhere to be seen, Steve only hoped that he was still sitting in the van and hadn’t moved away on foot. “Bucky?” Steve called out once the team had approached the van.

“Captain America?” your voice came from the van after a moment. “Is that you?” The passenger door opened to reveal your form stepping out in fear. However you relaxed greatly once you recognized the team standing several feet from you.

“Who are you?” Steve questioned defensively, ready to attack you in any moment.

“I’m with Bucky,” you revealed, eyeing the group in slight fear. “He’s safe. He’s shaken up. But safe.”

“Is he-?”

“He’s normal.” you nodded. “He’s okay for the moment. Scared, but okay. We were on our way out of here to safety, away from this place before a tree fell into the path. We debated on taking it all on foot, but felt it was too risky. It was only a matter of time before either you came to our rescue or HYDRA came to kill us both. I’d seen your quinjet in the distance, I assumed you were here looking for him. I convinced Bucky to stay here.”

“Sorry about that,” Sam spoke up. “I did that on Cap’s orders.”

“My name is Y/N.” you revealed to the team. “I’ve been spending time with Bucky over the last several months. I found him starving to death in a tower close to my village. I’ve been feeding him and caring for him as best as I can do with the short amount of supplies I was able to carry. If it wasn’t for my stupid idea, we would still be rotting in the tower.”

“Glad to see you alive,” Sam nodded in appreciation. “Is he still in the truck?”

“Bucky!” You called, turning around to the vehicle. You jogged back to the driver’s side and assisted Bucky out of the car.

“Buck,” Steve sighed out, relief filling his heart and lungs. He never imagined to see his best friend alive and well again. He had assumed Bucky was dead and his attempts at finding him with worthless.

“You came.” Bucky blinked once he recognized Steve. Disbelief had spread across Bucky’s face for a long moment before a smile replaced it.

Steve nodded, taking a hesitant step towards his long time friend. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? You’re a big part of our team, Bucky. You’re my best friend. Why wouldn’t I have come searching for you?”

“It’s been months, Steve,” Bucky whispered, looking down at the ground in shame. “I thought you’d given up looking for me.”

“There wasn’t a day in the last several months where I haven’t looked for you.” Steve admitted.

“Alright lover boys,” Tony spoke up in exasperation. “Kiss and makeup. We can’t stand here all day.”

“How can I ever repay you?” Steve Asked, turning to look at you with gratitude.

“It’s not necessary,” you denied with a polite smile. “Just take him back home and give him the proper care that he needs. I’m sure he’d love to have a nice warm bath.”

“Steve?” Bucky spoke in hesitance. “Perhaps we can invite her back to the tower with us? It’s the least we can do.”

“Of course!” Steve laughed out, surprising you by pulling you in for a hug. “ANything for the girl who kept my best friend out of harm’s way!”

“Really?” you spoke in awe. “I couldn’t.”

“You deserve it, Y/N.” Bucky spoke, smiling softly as he looked at you being embraced in Steve’s arms. “I can fly the quinjet back to Brooklyn.”

“You’re on, Iron Boy.” Natasha spoke before making her way to he jet, quickly followed by Rhodey and Clint.


End file.
